Pompeii
by thegirlofthoughts
Summary: During a seemingly safe mission, Chase is injured saving his siblings. The sudden uncertainty of the wellbeing of their brother shocks and shakes up the Davenport kids. They each have their own thoughts on the situation, but they're all wondering the same thing. Why couldn't they have prevented this from happening? And will their brother be okay? One-shot.


**Hi. This is my first story! Yay! This is the first Lab Rats story I've ever written; I wrote it about a year or two ago. So, obviously, this was inspired by "Back from the Future" but isn't exactly an alternative episode or anything. It's set in season three probably and is just a long one-shot I wrote because I wanted to try my hand at Lab Rat fanfics and loved torturing Chasey, my favorite character, for some reason. Anyway, enjoy!**

For one of the few times in his life, Chase wasn't sure what to think. He knew he only had a maximum of two seconds to act, but it was like time had slowed down to a stop. A million thoughts raced through his head at a million miles an hour, but it felt like they moved at a normal speed. He tried to pick apart the important ones, the ones that would save this mission.

Mr. Davenport had sent Leo along to help because a) it seemed like the least dangerous mission ever, and b) Leo had been nagging at him for months about going on a mission for once. And now, Leo was standing under a collapsing section of the ceiling, and it was about to fall on top of him.

Chase knew what his heart was telling him to do, but he was trying to listen to his mind as well for his options. The first thing to pop into his mind was, of course, leap over and push Leo out of the way. But he wouldn't have time to jump to safety, and the ceiling would crush him instead. He didn't have time to activate his molecular kinesis to move the debris or to make a force field. He could do his override app and have Adam hold it up since he was the only one strong enough, but that would put Adam in danger. He could also do Bree with her super speed, but the same problem was there. If only he had more time.

And if that wasn't enough, he was the only one who could figure out the code to the computer they were sent to get information from. So, if he died, the whole mission was in jeopardy. What to do what to do what to do…

Finally, he had run out of options. The calculations were already running through his head. With a cry of "Leo!" he lunged toward his younger brother, shoving him out of the way just as the pieces of plaster and concrete collapsed. Why was it always a basement? If it had been ground level, the only thing coming down would be the ceiling and some of the floor from the second level, but no, it had to be the very foundation of the building.

Unfortunately, Chase's mind was still in slow-motion. All sounds around him were muffled and echoed strangely. He was trying to activate any of the apps that would help him, but he knew deep down that he was out of time. At least Leo, Bree, and Adam were safe.

He thought about the irony of the moment. Not too long ago, it had been Leo in the position he was in now, when Leo had sacrificed himself for the bionic siblings. But something told Chase that he didn't have half the luck Leo had had that day to get out of this unscathed.

And then he no longer had time to think because, as in the song, "the walls kept tumbling down." Or rather, in this case, the ceiling.

* * *

Bree was both impressed and horrified. She was impressed that her brother had been able to think and act so quickly, but she was horrified by the actual thoughts and actions that came out of it.

She watched as her younger brother was pushed out of the way by her other younger brother. For a moment, she was shocked, and time seemed to move like molasses. Then, as the chunks of stone fell atop of her bionic brother, she was shaken out of her stupor. "Chase!" she screamed and super sped over to the pile of settling rock.

She saw something flickering through the cracks. At first, she thought it was one of the lights that had been torn away with the ceiling, but then she realized it was a force field.

"Chase!" she yelled again. He wouldn't last long. The force field was already weak and wouldn't hold up much longer. As she used her super speed to clear away the debris, she kept her eyes on the flickering light as if it was her beacon of hope.

Adam helped her with the bigger, heavier stuff, and they soon had cleared enough to pull Chase out. His face showed the strain he was going through, and as soon as he was completely out of harm's way, his force field disappeared and his eyelids fluttered shut.

Bree gasped as she saw the damage. Chase had put up his force field in time not to get completely crushed but not quick enough for it not to leave its mark. There were several gashes that were pouring out blood, and Bree just knew there were also broken bones.

Adam was looking at his unconscious brother with his sad, puppy dog look. Bree half-expected him to whimper, "Chasey?" but he held himself together pretty well. Leo, however, was another story. He was staring at Chase's motionless figure in utter shock, looking like he was in complete denial. Bree knew she had to take charge of this situation before someone broke down.

Even though she felt like crying herself, Bree spoke in a confident tone. "Alright, we have to get Chase back to the lab. But we also can't forget about the mission. Leo, can you figure out the code?"

Leo shook his head sadly. "No, that's what Chase is for." Then, he perked up. "But I do know someone who does. Just hang on a moment." And he dashed over to the bag of equipment he had brought.

Bree looked up at her older brother who was kneeling with her next to their younger brother. "Adam, I'm going to super speed Chase back to Mr. Davenport. I need you to stay here and guard Leo. Okay?"

"Okay, go." He nodded.

Bree picked up the prone form of her sibling and sped off to probably the only person who could heal him.

* * *

Adam sat there a full minute after they had left. He was still trying to shake off the shock that had settled deep within him. Chase, his younger brother whom he had teased and thrown around before but always turned out fine, was hurt. He had to stay strong. For Chase.

He sighed as he picked himself up from the dusty ground, brushing off the pants of his mission suit. He turned back toward his other younger brother. Leo had brought out a headset with headphones and a microphone. He was talking to someone.

"Hey, Big D, can you tell me the code for this thing? Okay, thanks." Leo moved toward a computer monitor, the headset still on. "How's Chase?" There was a pause as the person on the other side replied. "That's good." Another pause. "Ooh, that's not as good."

Finally, Adam couldn't stand it any longer. "What? What's wrong? What's going on with Chase?"

Leo put one hand over the microphone. "Big D says that he'll live, but he has some serious injuries. There's nothing permanent, but he hasn't looked at Chase's chip, and he's worried about what he'll find."

"Oh." Despite the mixed messages, all Adam could feel was relief. Chase was going to live; his little brother was going to be okay. There was nothing permanent.

Then, fear and doubt started to set in. What if something was wrong with Chase's chip? What if his bionics went wonky? What if he could never be able to use them again? That would mean he couldn't go on anymore missions.

Adam had never really considered how valuable Chase really was. He was the smart, responsible one. He kept Adam and Bree on track and was able to figure out almost anything. He had the super-senses, which definitely came in handy. He was also the protective one. He kept them safe with his force fields and also his selflessness. Though Adam would never ever admit it, they needed Chase. They needed each other. They were a team, a working machine. If one of the players wasn't there, if one of the parts wasn't working, the whole thing would fall apart. They used each other's strengths and held up each other's weaknesses. They always had each other's backs, and it just would feel the same without one of them.

Even though Adam always joked about Chase's build and height and always tossed him around everywhere, he had to admit (but only to himself) that Chase was strong. Not just physically strong, like Adam. He had a strong character. He had sacrificed himself for Leo, he had thrown himself in front of Douglas when he was about to be hit by a death ray, he had went off to Antarctica by himself during a storm just to prove a point…there were countless times Chase had been impulsive and reckless yet selfless and independent. Adam could only wish he could be as strong as Chase.

And sometimes, Adam resented Chase. He was jealous, and he would let his envy get in the way. He made mean jokes and threw his brother around because his anger overtook him. It was the only thing he knew. It was his defense mechanism.

And now, Chase might be permanently damaged because he hadn't been able to think fast enough to stop him. Any of the bionic kids could have saved Leo, but Chase was the only one who would really be in danger. He was the only one who had to take time to actually activate his bionics. To Adam or Bree, it would have been like second nature to stop the falling ceiling or speed Leo out of the way. But neither of them had a mind quick enough to figure it out in time. Chase did, and look where that got him.

"Stop doing that," Adam muttered to himself. He couldn't blame himself for this. Of course he felt guilty, but he couldn't drown himself in his guilt. He had to be strong. Like Chase. For Chase. With Chase.

So he decided he would make himself useful instead of doing the thing he wasn't really good at: thinking. He couldn't think about how Chase might never be able to use his bionics again or how this could have gone down if he had been thinking faster or how this was all his fault. He didn't want to. He just went around, picking up debris, purposefully not thinking about any of these things.

Because if he did, it would hurt worse than the ceiling collapsing on him.

* * *

Leo could understand what his oldest brother was going through, could sympathize with his guilt. Because he was feeling exactly the same thing.

If he hadn't been standing there in the first place, Chase wouldn't be injured. If he hadn't begged to be on this mission, Chase wouldn't be injured. If he had thought a bit faster and jumped out of the way on his own, Chase wouldn't be injured. Ugh, this was giving him a headache.

But it was true. Chase was injured because of him. Maybe it was partially Bree and Adam's fault as well, but they might have gotten hurt too, and it would still be Leo's fault.

Why couldn't he have been faster like Bree or stronger like Adam or smarter like Chase? If he had been any one of those things, they wouldn't be in this situation. At least it seemed like nothing was life-threatening.

Leo sighed as he typed on the computer keyboard. At least this mission wasn't a complete fail. He was still getting the information that Mr. Davenport wanted. He might not be coming home as a hero, as he had originally imagined, but he would be coming home as a success. A guilty success, yes, but still a success.

The data finally finished loading. He pulled the flash drive out with another sigh. "Come on, Adam, we need to get home now. Everything's been loaded." He waved the flash drive around as he turned around to look at his oldest brother. Adam's face was a mirror of his own weariness and guilt, like they were both holding the weight of the world on their shoulders. Well, they were holding the weight of this mission, and the weight of their brother was only bringing them down further.

They shuffled out of the building and climbed into the private jet Mr. Davenport had sent them there in. The jet was controlled and piloted by computer, so it shut the door and took off as soon as Adam and Leo were buckled up and ready to go. They spent the trip in silence. Leo couldn't help but glance over at the two empty seats that Bree and Chase had sat in on the way here.

"It's not your fault you know." A voice suddenly cut through his thoughts.

"What?"

"It's not your fault. Chase chose to save you. And besides, we owe you for saving us. We would have done the same exact thing. We all know that you would too." Adam looked like he was trying to convince himself as much as Leo.

Leo sighed. "I know. It's just…it feels like it's all my fault. I shouldn't have been standing there in the first place. I shouldn't even be on this mission."

"Hey, if it's anyone's fault, it's mine and Bree's. We're the bionic ones; we should be the protectors. Plus, we're the oldest."

"I guess it's a little bit of everyone's fault."

"Yeah, especially Chase's." They smiled at the joke, but neither of them truly believed that.

They spent the rest of the journey in silence, but this time, it was a lot more of a companionable one.

* * *

Chase slowly opened his eyes and saw blinding lights. He immediately shut them again. He couldn't remember anything at first, but then the memories came rushing back. He had saved Leo then threw up his force field before getting completely crushed by the falling debris. But he hadn't been quite fast enough.

He groaned as the pain started filtering in. His whole body was sore, and he could feel bandages wrapped around his arms, legs, and chest. The pain was throbbing, seeming to pulse with his heartbeat. He felt like a drum.

Almost immediately, he sensed a presence beside him. "Can you open your eyes, Chase?" a familiar voice asked. Mr. Davenport.

Slowly, Chase pried his eyes open. It took a while for them to get adjusted to the light, but once they did, he recognized the lab. What was he doing here? How did he get here?

"Good. Now can you sit up?" Mr. Davenport said.

Groaning slightly, Chase raised himself up into a sitting position. "What happened?" he asked, his voice hoarse and raspy. He coughed, and dust came out. He realized that he was covered in dust.

"What do you remember?"

"Saving Leo, everything was falling, someone pulling me out, then…nothing."

Mr. Davenport nodded. "Yes, after Adam and Bree got you out, you passed out. Bree super-sped you here, and I did what I could. Adam and Leo are on their way; they got the information."

"What's the damage?" Chase suddenly felt scared. What if there was something really bad?

As if reading his thoughts, Donald chuckled. "There's nothing permanent. You have some broken ribs and some nasty cuts and bruises but nothing that won't heal with time. Luckily, your bionic chips help you heal a lot faster."

A thought occurred to Chase. "What about my chip?"

"Fine. There was no damage. Everything's going to be alright."

Chase released a breath he hadn't known he was holding. Everything was going to be alright.

Just then, Adam and Leo burst into the room. "Where's Chase? Is he okay?" Adam asked immediately.

Mr. Davenport shushed them, gesturing to a sleeping Bree. Chase just now noticed her. "He's fine. See?"

Relief was clear in both of their faces as they saw their brother was okay. "What about his chip?"

"It's fine. There was no damage. He's just a bit worse for wear. But there's nothing that's not fixable."

"Okay, okay," Leo said, obviously trying to calm himself down. "I'm so sorry, Chase. I should have been thinking faster and…"

"It's alright, Leo," Chase told him. "It's not your fault. It's not your fault or Adam's or Bree's or anyone else's. If anything, it's my fault. So, you can stop blaming yourself."

"Okay." Then, driven by some impulse, he walked over and hugged his older brother. Mr. Davenport joined them, and by the crushing feeling, Adam had too. Just then, they all heard a snorting noise and looked over to see a half-awake Bree.

"What did I miss?" she asked blearily.

They all just laughed.


End file.
